survival kit contents

[fishbait127]

Hi i was wondering what to put in my homeade survival kit. Do you have any suggestions.

[Rick]

What kind of environment do you spend most of your time in? Mountains? Woods? Desert? Urban? Where you spend most of your time will dictate what you need to have in a survival kit.

[Sarge47]

Start here, read all six parts. It's designed to be read through quickly and understood easily:

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/forums/entry.php?317-Learning-the-basics. :cool2:

[fishbait127]

Its usually in the woods in Alabama.

[Sourdough]

Its usually in the woods in Alabama.

That is in America.........correct....????

[Rick]

At the very least you want to be able to cover the need to create fire, purify water and signal someone for help. You need to discuss this with your parents, of course, and get their approval for some of the items. For a survival kit for someone your age in Alabama you might need to consider the following items.

Water: I'm going to suggest Potable Aqua pills. They work in 30 minutes to purify water and there is no need to start a fire. You should have some means of carrying water like a water bottle or canteen. Follow the directions.

Fire: If you have to be out overnight then you might need to build a fire to stay warm depending on the season. A simple BIC lighter can help solve that problem. Observe all safety rules with regard to fire building.

Signalling: If you get lost then stay put or try to find an open area nearby where you can be seen from the air. A pealess whistle can attract attention from a long way away. The Howler, Tornado, Storm or Jet Scream, are good examples. Avoid the whistles that have lot's of gizmos built in like a compass and match holder. Any whistle is better than no whistle but if you are going to buy one then buy a good one. They are all pretty inexpensive but some are much better than others.

A signal mirror is also a good item to have and to learn how to use. The best I've seen are the Starflash mirrors or the Rescue Flash.

Rescue generally occurs within 40 hours so you don't need a whole lot of items in a rescue kit where you are. Your biggest concern is really dehydration and trying to be found so the water pills and signalling are your too biggest assets. If it's winter then staying warm is a concern as well. Beyond that I'm going to give you a couple of links that list the 10 essentials of survival. It's a list that was developed in the 1930s to help people stay alive when they find themselves lost or trapped outside in bad weather.

http://funditor.110mb.com/wiki/index.php/Ten_Essentials

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scout_Outdoor_Essentials